Annapurna I | 1981 E Ridge

A Sweden expedition to Annapurna I in 1981 via E Ridge, led by Tommy Sandberg. Summit reached on 15th May 1981. 14 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 1823
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID ANN181101
Peak ID ANN1
Year 1981
Season 1
Host Country 1
Route 1 E Ridge
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality Sweden
Leaders Tommy Sandberg
Sponsor Swedish Himalayan Expedition 1981
Success 1 False
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 -
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries Switzerland
Approach Pokhara->Annapurna Sanctuary
Basecamp Date 1981-04-06
Summit Date 1981-05-15
Summit Time -
Summit Days 39
Total Days 46
Termination Date 1981-05-22
Termination Reason 4
Termination Notes Abandoned on 15 May due to bad weather
High Point (m) 7500
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 6
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 10
Summit Members 0
Member Deaths 0
Total Hired 4
Summit Hired 0
Hired Deaths 0
No Hired False
O2 Used False
O2 None True
O2 Climb False
O2 Descent False
O2 Sleep False
O2 Medical False
O2 Taken False
O2 Unknown False
Other Summits Climbed Glacier Dome (GLAC-811-01) and Roc Noir (ROCN-811-01)
Campsites BC(06/04,4200m),C1(08/04,5200m),C2(12/04,5800m),C3(27/04,6200m),C4(01/05,6650m),C5(04/05,7100m),C6A(12/05,7150m),C6B(13/05,7250m),C7(14/05,7500m),xxx(15/05,7500m)
Route Notes Lindblad & Olin - 29 May 81 BC arrived 30 March some members and others 4 April. BC established 6 April - 4200m C1 occupied 8 April - 5200m C2 " 12 April - 5800m C3 " 27 April - 6200m Lot of snowfall and different glacier steep ice had to fix rope and different find route to C3; reasons for 2 weeks between C2 and C3. C4 - 1 May - 6650m C5 - 4 May - 7100m Glacier Dome summit 5 May by Germain, Sandberg and Cronlund on from C5 in 1/2 hours to top and back to C5 and BC. Route on Glacier Dome = Southwest side (slope 35-40 degrees, not a face). 8 & 9 - May all in C3, 2-3 days constant snowfall. 10 May - Ake Back, Lars Back and Olin tried to reach summit, but it was bad weather and could see nothing. Put pole at high point and later were told this was 40-50m below top of this dome. Went directly from C3 and couldn't find C5 and returned to C3 in very hard climb. 11 May 3 members climbing for East Summit and left C4 for C5: Sandberg, Cronlund and Lindblad. Wahlund also with the 3. 12 May - 3 from C5 to Glacier Dome summit and 3 to site of C6 which found too late to place where wanted it; put it at 7150m at foot of ridge up to Roc Noir. 13 May - 3 up towards Roc Noir. Cronlund and Lindblad crossed 5-6m below summit and moved C6 to step up to Roc Noir at 7250m and stayed night at this site east of Roc Noir. 14 May - Sandberg to help ferry equipment up to Roc Noir and he then descended to C3, while other 2 continued out on ridge west of Roc Noir (all 3 went again across South Face of Roc Noir 5-6m below summit). 2 made C7 at 7500m west of Roc Noir. 15 May - 2 from C7 to attempt East Summit of Annapurna I along saw tooth ridge which took longer then expected and where flat was loose deep snow. Reached foot of 10 slope up to East Summit at about 7500m altitude. Weather looked bad so started back to C7 at about 1:00 pm. Did not reach C7 because snowfall and electrical storm and couldn't see, so dug snow cave which was not far from C7 but too steep down to camp. 10:00-11:00 pm weather cleared though windy and reached C7 at midnight or so where spent rest of night. Had no bivouac equipment: took 4 hours to dig cave with 1 ice axe. 16 May - to C6 of 7150m. 17 May - to C3. Met Doctor Wahlund and Sandberg at C5 to meet them and help them down. No second push to East Summit because no members strong and food running out. 5 km from Glacier Dome to East Summit and another 2 kms to main summit Germans in 1969 passed Roc Noir. Don't know how far west they reached. Westman hit in hard by ice block just below C3, couple bones broken. Lindblad and Cronlund little frostbite. Avalanching close to Sandberg and Wahlund passed over their heads 5 meters beside C2 while evacuating mountain. Summits Glacier Dome: 5 May - Germain Sandberg Cronlund 12 May - Sandberg Cronlund Lindblad Wahlund Summits Roc Noir: 13 May - Cronlund Lindblad 14 May - Cronlund Lindblad Sandberg 16 May - Cronlund Lindblad C6A, 7150m - 12 May C6B, 7250m - 13 May C7, 7500m - 14 May Farthest west point 7500m - 15 May Tourism Ministry - 17 May 81, 5:00 pm Swedes abandoned climbing on 15 May because of bad weather. Shalendra Sharma - 15 May 81 2nd Glacier Dome party did not reach top. Were 75m below summit but at the time in dense fog they thought they were on top. Left stick at their high point and next day could see stick and see it was not on top. 1.5 km horizontal foot of Annapurna East (8010m). Bergstson (Swedish journalist) - 11 May 81 Will attempt summit 14th May by Sandberg, Cronlund, Lindbladh, Sherpa Mingma. All going [well] according to Schnidher - down from C5 and C4 with 4 days and bad weather. - C6 tomorrow at about 7200m = 250m under Roc Noir - C7 at end of 5 km ridge under Annapurna East peak about 7460m Will go for East Summit only probably because weather too bad. One man broke 2 fingers of left hand in fall of ice block about 10 days ago: Kenneth Westman and is in BC. All others OK except for usual headaches and stomach trouble. Glacier Dome climbed 4 May by Germain, Sandberg, Lars Cronlund Glacier Dome = Swedish altitude record in mountain. Olin, Lindblad & Westman - 20 March 81 Approach via Modi Khola to BC slightly northwest of point 12,430 on Harka's map. BC - 4500m Same route to Glacier Dome as 1969 Germans via Col between Tent Peak and Glacier Dome and up SW Ridge of Glacier Dome. Then west on Ridge to Roc Noir, traverse Roc Noir 10m below summit, and then traverse the 3 summits of Annapurna I. 7 km Col Dome to East summit 9 km Col Dome to Main summit of Annapurna I 500m between camps C4 - on ridge between Fluted Peak and Glacier Dome C5 - 7000m just below Glacier Dome C6 - 7000m on ridge just east or west of Roc Noir Maybe down Poles South Face 10 members including doctor 4 Sherpas above BC 12 oxygen med and perhaps for sleeping in high camps, but not for climbing: 2 in BC, 10 in high camps. Glacier Dome altitude? probably 7142m - not 7793m Swedish Himalayan Expedition 1981 1st Swedish to Nepal Leave KTM 23 March, arrive BC after 6-8 days from Pokhara Glacier Dome summit depends on seracs and other conditions; no target date but hope before 1st May. To Annapurna main summit another week, but depends on weather conditions and our condition; perhaps first go back to BC and wait a week.
Accidents -
Achievement -
Agency -
Commercial Route -
Standard Route -
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference -
Primary ID -
Checksum 2449691
Year 1981
Summit Success False
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) e ridge

Members

14 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Ake Back M 1943 Sweden Climber Borlange, Sweden Electrician Details Other expeditions
Lars Back M 1950 Sweden Climber Borlange, Sweden Civil engineer Details Other expeditions
Lars (Lasse) Cronlund M 1953 Sweden Climber Stockholm, Sweden Engine driver of train Details Other expeditions
Francois Germain M 1955 Switzerland Climber Mora, Sweden Forester Details Other expeditions
Sten-Goran Lindbladh M 1952 Sweden Climber Goteborg, Sweden Insurance writer Details Other expeditions
Lennart Olin M 1943 Sweden Climber Goteborg, Sweden Divisional fire officer Details Other expeditions
Karltommy (Tommy) Sandberg M 1935 Sweden Leader Ludvika, Sweden House painter Details Other expeditions
Anders Thorbjornsson M 1952 Sweden Climber Goteborg, Sweden Economics student Details Other expeditions
Ebbe Wahlund M 1946 Sweden Exp Doctor Balsta, Sweden Physician Details Other expeditions
Kenneth Westman M 1951 Sweden Climber Ostersund, Sweden Organiser of leisure activities Details Other expeditions
Sarki Tshering Sherpa M 1952 Nepal Sirdar Chiwang Khop, Solukhumbu - Details Other expeditions
Pemba Lama Sherpa M - Nepal H-A Worker - - Details Other expeditions
Chowang Rinzi Sherpa M 1949 Nepal H-A Worker Namche Bazar, Khumbu - Details Other expeditions
Mingma Tshering Sherpa M - Nepal H-A Worker - - Details Other expeditions

References

4 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
ANN181101 AAJ Sandberg, Tommy - - 56:229-230 (1982) -
ANN181101 - Sandberg, Tommy Annapurna - Den Langa Vagen Svenska Himalaya Expeditionen 1981 (Vastra Frolunda), Sweden - S821
ANN181101 MM - - - 80:11 (Jul 1981) -
ANN181101 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12198222900/Asia-Nepal-Annapurna-I-Attempt-East-Ridge - - -